Kids and kids at heart love the modern fairy tale of Shrek. It’s a love story with a surprising ending that can open our hearts to be healed in God’s grace…

Shrek is a hideous green monster who falls in love with a princess. Of course, he has little hope of winning the pretty girl’s heart. How could an outcast like him compete with a rich, handsome king? But Shrek doesn’t realize that the princess actually is attracted to him. You see, she is tormented by a secret: at night: she loses her beauty and returns to being an ugly ogre!

The ending of the story turns the typical fairy tale upside down. The king does not win the princess’ heart. Shrek and the ogre princess are not transformed into beautiful people forever. Nor do they become king and queen to rule the land. Instead, when Shrek declares his love for the princess with a kiss she is magically transformed into an ogre and a poor commoner like himself! And along with Shrek, she learns not to hide her ugliness anymore. She doesn’t pretend to be a beautiful princess and he doesn’t wish to be a handsome prince. Instead, because of their love for one another they are both free and happy to be the ugly ogres that they are and an inner beauty radiates from their souls.

Can You Believe you are God’s Masterpiece?

We all feel ugly at times and long to be loved as beautiful. We get lost in the crowd and hope to stand out as significant. Amazingly, God found you and I in our orgreliness and he didn’t turn away! In Jesus he became like an ogre and loved us right where we were. He felt our pain. He took our sin into Himself. He answered the cry of our hearts with his merciful forgiveness and gracious acceptance that recovers in our souls our long, lost glory, restoring in us the image of God in which we were created. It’s a beautiful story.  It’s our story. It’s the gospel!

Do you feel beautiful to God? Do you believe that you’re glorious? The Bible says that you are! “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT).  “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3:18, NIV).

But in your heart it may be hard for you to believe God has bestowed his glory on you, that you are his masterpiece. Maybe you have never experienced that kind of love and honor. Maybe you have been mistreated and learned to feel guilty or unworthy.

Lift your Head High!

With practice meditating on God’s Word and learning to apply it in the midst of stress and pain our self-image can be renewed (Romans 12:1-3). Confessing our sins and pouring out our hearts to God in prayer and through the help of Christ’s Ambassadors can heal us in his mercy (James 5:16, 1 Corinthians 5:20). By learning to reach out to hold the hand of heaven in the opportunities and challenges of our lives we are empowered to do great things for God!

We can know by personal experience that because of God’s love we are no longer ogres, but are beautiful and glorious masterpieces of God. Jesus said that you and I are the light of the world where we are so let’s shine for him! (Matthew 5:14).

 

 

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Ron

Ronald Bender- President/CEO Bender Consulting.~http://www.benderbytes.net/bender_consult